Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Rick Renaldo was mainly known for his work in California, Washington, Canada and the deep south. He also made some brief appearances in Arizona in the late 1970s and early 1980s, mainly feuding with Eddie Sullivan.

Renaldo was responsible for two real life heroics outside the ring that fans are not always aware of.

Renaldo and Ray Stevens happened to foil a bank robbery on the spur of the moment when they happened to be walking down the street and crossed paths with a robber fleeing a bank he had just held up. Renaldo and/or Stevens decked the guy and knocked him flat.

Later, Renaldo was responsible for aiding law enforcement by infiltrating a Neo Nazi group operating in the Washington/Idaho area. By going undercover, he gained the confidence of some truly deadly individuals, some of whom had carried out bombings. This led to several arrests. In spite of the dangers of being a branded informant after the fact, Renaldo never denied his actions and was justifiably proud of them, as if taunting these dangerous people to retaliate. They never did.

Mac McFarland was sometimes billed as being from Los Angeles and sometimes from Ogden, Utah, so take your pick, though for much of his latter career he did live in the California area. Earlier, hew as seen in Midwestern states where he wa usually on the undercard, in spite of a magnificent build and undeniable talent.

McFarland's Arizona runs came in the 1970s where he worked under a masked routine as The Spoiler. Though he did not use a claw hold as a finisher, as the original Spoiler, Dan Jardine, he did have a devastating finisher of his own in the form of a neckbreaker much like the one later revamped by Honkytonk Man.

McFarland also trained a number of California wrestlers in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

McFarland last did his Spoiler routine in Phoenix in 1978 when brought in as US Champ, he was set to lose to Tito Montez so Montez could ride the top in his promotion with the belt. The belt later went form Montez to Jody Arnold, who held the title for a decade until retiring.

First, there was Dusty Rhodes passing away at 69. An international star of great charisma as everyone knows, Rhodes was seen in Arizona with the WWF and WCW promotions, invariably as an Everyman baby face known for his great interviews and finishing elbow smash. There is no point in repeated the many obituary articles that have already come.

Next came Cora Combs, the veteran woman wrestler and mother of Debbie Combs. Though mainly remembered for her work in the south, Combs did have varied matches in Arizona in the 1950s and early 1960s. After retirement, she ran a flower shop in Nashville.

Third and more shocking would be Natureboy Buddy Landel, another wrestler of amazing color and charisma. Details of is death remain sketchy as of now.

This page offers a fond farewell to these great wrestlers. You will live on in legend.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Pedro El Bello of Nogales, Mexico is still looking good and going strong, actively wrestling though in his 50s. He is not taking as many bookings as he once did, but is still as flashy and as tough as ever. Acting as sort of a Mexican Gorgeous George, he has been a long-lasting heel popular on the Mexican bore in particular.

Pedro had a run in Arizona in the 1990s, working in the Phoenix area, where he feuded with fellow Nogales wrestler, Indio Seri. He also faced Thrillseeker Terry Zeller, Fly Boy, Amadeus, Andar, Mike Contreras, Resplandor, The Black Mamba and Flama Negra, among others.